Product Description

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Bite-sized bits of profound wisdom from the patristic era. Relying on the extensive research done for the Ancient Christian Commentary, Oden and Crosby combine writings from the church fathers with daily meditations and prayers that coincide with the Scripture readings in cycle A of the Revised Common Lectionary. Ideal for individual or corporate worship. 294 pages, softcover from InterVarsity.

Publisher's Description

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"To search the sacred Scripture is very good and most profitable for the soul. For, 'like a tree which is planted near the running waters,' so does the soul watered by sacred Scripture also grow hearty and bear fruit in due season," writes John of Damascus in Orthodox Faith (4.17). By helping us to read holy writings with ancient eyes, the church fathers help us drink deeply from the only water that can give us true life. This guide to prayer and reflection combines excerpts from the writings of the church fathers as found in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture with a simple structure for daily or weekly reading and prayer. There are fifty-two weeks of readings following the weekly lectionary cycle A. You can read through them in order or by thematic interest. Each day you will also find a simple opening and closing prayer drawn from the prayers and hymns of the ancient church. Come and find the deep nourishment God offers through the insights of this "cloud of witnesses"--the ancient church fathers.

Author Bio

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Cindy Crosby is the author, contributor to, or compiler of more than twenty books, including . Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including , , , and . She speaks and teaches in the Chicago region.
Thomas C. Oden (19312016), was the general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series as well as the author of , a revision of his three-volume systematic theology. He was the director of the Center for Early African Christianity at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and he served as the Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology at The Theological School of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Oden was active in the Confessing Movement in America, particularly within the United Methodist Church and was president of The Institute for Classical Christian Studies. He suggested that Christians need to rely upon the wisdom of the historical Church, particularly the early Church, rather than on modern scholarship and theology and said his mission was "to begin to prepare the postmodern Christian community for its third millennium by returning again to the careful study and respectful following of the central tradition of classical Christianity."

Editorial Reviews

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There are few books that appeal equally to the imagination and the professional interest of the scholar. [This] is one such book. Scholars can benefit professionally from using such a devotional: it is profitable to see those historical figures that are the objects of our study as being erring, yet worshipping, humans like ourselves
Read these devotions to prepare for Sunday services, to prepare to write your sermon, to learn from saints who have gone before. Mine them for sermon illustrations, encouragement for your own faith, and to sample the ACCS."My own rediscovery of liturgy, and my more recent appetite for the church fathers, find perfect combination in this new IVP book. At the end of the book is a helpful biographical section. I have found this devotional useful, and I turn to it now and then for more variety in my liturgical diet. Plus, because its liturgical programme is not too demanding it is nonthreatening and adaptable."
"For those who may be intimidated at the thought of digging into the writings of the church fathers, Ancient Christian Devotional may be the perfect starting block. Not to mention it is a beautifully designed book!"
"This volume is a gem . . . this might well prove to be the most compelling way to persuade Christians of the value of early church theology."
"A great resource for clergy of all denominations in preparing Sunday homilies or sermons. . . . Readers can use this to prepare for their Sunday worship or for daily prayer."